


The Daily Grind

by TwistedFate101



Category: Original Work
Genre: Coffee Saves Lives, Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, Not Beta Read, POV First Person, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 09:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17464919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedFate101/pseuds/TwistedFate101
Summary: "I feel like I'm in a rom-com.""It's because you watch too many of them."When owner and manager of the coffee shop Espresso Yourself Jason Malway  lays eyes on a father that walks through his doors, he's intent on winning the guy's heart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Possible triggers include a brief scene describing an anxiety attack. 
> 
> This is also posted on my Wattpad account, Shadow_Underling/Honeycomb_Beehive. Enjoy! ^_^

"But Daddy-!"

"No, sweetpea. No sugar, okay? Daddy's just going to get some coffee for his old man brain."

I jerked up from my half-asleep position on the cash register. It wasn't like the customer's were complaining about the lack of service, since none usually came in until after nine. You'd think that owning a business would give you some much-needed time to sleep in; you'd be one hundred percent wrong. The only thing that kept me awake this early in the morning was the tempting smell of coffee that practically enveloped the place. That, and Veronica hip-checking me at regular intervals.

I'd be living on the streets without her, for sure. I rubbed a hand across my face to try and erase any traces of exhaustion from my face as I looked up. Whoever I got to deal with at eight (practically dawn!) better be worth opening my mouth and moving for. My eyesight was still kind of blurry, so I rubbed them with the back of my hand and concealed a yawn with my other one. I could hear Veronica puttering around in the kitchen behind me, probably getting flour everywhere. The problem with having a best friend as one of your employees that actually turned up in the morning was that they got away with a lot of things.

Veronica once smashed three plates in a row and I only let her get away with a slap on the wrist. Literally.

I opened my eyes again with the intent to greet the first customer of the day--how would you like to espresso yourself today?-and felt everyone of my facial muscles lock up into what was no doubt a very awkward expression. I probably looked constipated. The man in front of me was, with no doubt, gorgeous. Beautiful green eyes with hair that could rival fire and pale skin dotted with freckles. Jesus Christ, he was just my type. "Hi," I squeaked out and smothered the urge to punch myself in the face. That...probably wouldn't set a good example for the kid who was gripping the guy's jacket so hard her knuckles were turning white.

The guy raised an eyebrow. He already looked skeptical, but of what, I couldn't really say. Probably unimpressed with the way I totally butchered a simple greeting. "Hello," the guy said slowly, and oh, god, his voice was like chocolate. How did a person even sound like that? Whatever. "Laura," The guy warned when the kid opened her mouth. Laura(?) developed a rather sullen pout that could have put Veronica's glare to shame. I, wisely, stayed quiet. Laura's lower lip wobbled, but the guy stood strong, which was impressive. Even I had felt myself start to waver, and I didn't even know her.

"No." The guy said firmly. Laura crossed her arms over her chest, but didn't attempt to say anything again. The guy turned back to me. Christ, I probably had a deer-in-headlights expression plastered all over my face. I didn't do very well with kids. It wasn't like I hated them or anything like that; it was really the opposite. I just...really didn't know how to interact with them that well. Or at all, really. "Could I please just get a latte?" I blinked rapidly. Right. Customer. Not a love interest.

Damn.

"Yeah," I said. Just to fill the silence, of course. I cleared my throat, twice for good measure. "Yeah, sure. Hold on." I made sure it didn't look like I was running away. I wasn't, for the record. I was making a...strategic retreat. From the Hot Customer Dude. Yeah. I pulled a cup from the bottom cupboard and turned my back to the counter so I wouldn't have to see the guy's face as he watched me. He was definitely staring, though. Probably wondering what was wrong with the cashier. God, I was such a spaz sometimes. I made the latte as quick as possible-I could feel his eyes drilling into the back of my head. I needed to get this over with and switch places with Veronica. I returned to front and center with a latte that I barely managed not to spill by sheer willpower. "Here." Hey, look at that, I could hand something over without-oh my god my fingers touched his.

While I had a minor freak-out over whether or not I should ever wash that hand again, Hot Customer Dude pulled out his wallet and eyed me again. Right. "Um, that will be six dollars and thirteen cents, sir." My voice absolutely did not crack over 'sir'. By the way the guy didn't spare me a second glance, I'm sure I succeeded in concealing it. Unfortunately, after I put the money in the cash register, Hot Customer Dude just. Stood there. And stared at me. I could feel my palms start to sweat and resisted to urge to wipe them on my pants. Right when I was about to blurt an excuse to escape from the building tension, the guy turned away. "Come, Laura," he said absently. Laura, who had had her nose pressed against the display glass, flounced after him. That would be a pain to clean later.

"Thank you!" Laura called as she was basically dragged out of the shop. Just like that, they were gone. I continued to stare at the door until Veronica shuffled in, arms filled with trays of pastries. "What's going on with you?" She asked suspiciously. I made a frankly embarrassing groaning noise, and held up my left hand. "I'm never washing this again," I decided.

Veronica wouldn't stop laughing for the next three minutes.

-

It was already past noon, and Veronica still insisted on hounding me about the dad that I had encountered that morning. I was getting to the point where I regretted ever telling her what had transpired. It wasn't like me to keep secrets from her, though, even if I sometimes really wanted to just to avoid moments like these. 

Veronica raised an eyebrow at me. I hunched protectively over my coffee (black like my soul). "So you're telling me," she started slowly, over-enunciating her words. "That you have a crush on a person who is probably never going to come here again?" I groaned and pressed the heels of my hands hard into my eyes. Despite her attempts to keep her face blank, her eyes, always so expressive, sparkled with mirth. Traitor. "It's not a crush!" I protested feebly. No way that was possible; I wasn't one for that 'love at first sight' stuff. Veronica nodded sagely like I had said the wisest thing ever. Then, when I relaxed back into my seat, she leaned forward and slammed her hands on the table. 

I nearly spilled my coffee on my new jeans. "What the-" Veronica shook her finger at me. "Of course it's a crush! You blush every time I mention him!" Sure enough, heat blossomed across my cheeks at the very thought of those eyes. I curled even further inward and pulled the cup I was gripping like a lifeline closer. I barely suppressed a sigh; whether or not I agreed with her, Veronica certainly wasn't going to give up until I tried to get Hot Customer Dude's number. That was never going to happen, so we were at an impasse. Like always. I tried my best to remain nonchalant. "It's not a crush," I repeated. There, that was more collected and sounded less like a shriek.

People had finally begun to take notice of the exaggerated hand gestures Veronica was using. Their stares felt like brands on my face, and I blushed harder. I hated being the center of attention, even though it was a given when I worked in such a public space like this was. It just bothered me that it seemed like each person was judging me no matter what I did. "You keep telling yourself that and see where it gets you." Veronica retorted. She, unlike myself, seemed completely unbothered by the attention. She was a social butterfly-her lifeblood practically was talking to other people. There's no way we should have worked, and yet we did. "Just drop it, okay?" I sighed. Veronica grinned toothily, so wide that it made the corners of her eyes crinkle. Even though I could never feel anything for her but friendship, it really struck me sometimes how beautiful she was. She shrugged.

Well, damn. That meant she was going to do the exact opposite of what I'd asked her to do. There was nothing I could do now except accept my doom, which was probably going to be humiliating for both myself and some other individual. Last time she had done this, it had been in my last year of college. She had set me up for a blind date with my crush and had come along with her boyfriend. The entire time she was there she'd inserted innuendos and suggestive comments about particular parts of my anatomy. Needless to say, my crush didn't look at me again after that. "Really, V," I tried. "Please don't come onto the guy for me? Adam wouldn't be happy." Veronica rolled her eyes and flapped her hand.

"Adam will be fine with it, you know that." Indeed I did. Adam was surprisingly chill whenever Veronica flirted with other people. When I had asked him about it, he'd just shrugged and said, "as long as she doesn't actually act on it, then it's fine. I can't change who V is. Sure, I get jealous sometimes, but she reassures me of my value pretty quickly." I had made a strategic exit then. The lecherous smirk that Adam had worn had made me leave before I heard how flexible Veronica was or something. I took one last swig of my coffee and tossed it in the bin that I conveniently sat next to. Samuel, the cashier who took over whenever I had my break with Veronica, cocked his head when he caught sight of my face.

You okay? He mouthed. I twitched my shoulders back, mostly to make myself more presentable, and gave a short nod. He scrunched up his nose in disbelief, but let it be. Sam was the best. "Come on, Jason," Veronica coaxed as I hurried back toward the counter. "Anyone would want you! You're a catch!" I groaned. I pushed past the door into the kitchen and headed straight for the oven. It was cooking croissants, which were very susceptible to burning. I had learned that the hard way. "Do not ever call me that again." I ordered with a grimace. The heat that buffeted my face as I opened the door would always startle me, no matter how many times I did it. It was usually Veronica's job to do this, but she obviously wouldn't be of any help for a while, if the way she was smirking at me was any indication.

Veronica pushed herself off the wall and, for lack of a better word, sauntered over to where I was crouched. She patted my untamed hair. After a moment, she began to card her fingers through it, which was something I was definitely not opposed to. "But you are one," she pouted. "Everyone who thinks differently is an idiot." I rolled my eyes and straightened up again. Veronica stumbled, her hand retreating from my hair down to my shoulder to regain her balance. Ha, serves her right for trying to coerce me. She knew that petting me always made me malleable to whatever her scheme was.

Some therapists would call it 'touch-starved'. I would call it 'I-have-overly-affectionate-friends'. I pressed my hand to my lower back when it gave an audible crack. I might need to stretch more if my bones were already popping at the tender age of twenty-seven. "Give those a couple more minutes," I nodded toward the oven. "And get back to work. I mean it, Veronica." I ordered. Veronica opened her mouth to protest, probably, to which I cleared my throat loudly and patted her on the back while stepping around her. That sort of dismissal always took the wind out of her sails, even if we were in a heated argument.

Sure enough, when I risked a glance behind myself, Veronica was standing as still as a stature and watching the timer like a hawk. I snorted; childish as she could sometimes be, she really did love her job. When we left college together, she had expressed her desire to be apart of the business I had planned to build. Of course, it was a way to keep in touch with someone close to me, so I accepted immediately. That had been four years ago, and we were still running strong. Well, as strong as a corner-street coffeeshop could run. It was all up to interpretation. With a shake of my head, I turned around to push the door back open with my shoulder with the intent to go save Samuel from his fate of having to deal with cranky customers. People without coffee in their system were really scary.

Luckily, it appeared that the majority of the patrons had received their daily dose of caffeine. Thank God for Samuel's multi-tasking abilities. He didn't even jump when I sidled up to him and clapped my hand on his shoulder. "Hey," I greeted. Samuel lied a hand in response. He was probably too caught up in whatever he was doing on his phone to really pay attention to who was talking to him. "You're free to go back with Veronica," I offered. "I can take it from here," Samuel looked up from the screen and grinned brightly. He punched my arm as he passed, snickering at the ill-concealed wince. Samuel certainly didn't pull his punches, even with friends. "Thanks, boss-man!" Samuel called before he disappeared into the kitchen, probably to go chat on his phone and not do any work.

I glanced warily at the clock that hung just above and to the right of the entrance. Only five more hours to go. Surely I could survive that long? Probably not.

-

The next time Hot Customer Dude walked through the doors of Espresso Yourself, I was a little more prepared. Which is to say not at all so. It was consuming work, cleaning counters and tables, and before I knew it, the clock declared the time to be eight o'clock in the morning. I shrugged; it wasn't like anyone came in at this time, so I had an hour or so to prepare for the day and wake myself up a little bit more. he chime that was connected to the door jingled. I turned away from where I had been studiously scrubbing the table, and felt my muscles lock up. Again.

It was Hot Customer Dude.

Okay, so this time he looked like he'd been through the wringer. There were deep bags under his eyes and his cheekbones were a little more prominent. He drooped forward like a wilting flower and his hair flopped in front of his eyes sadly. He carried none of the self-assured confidence that he had with his daughter around. I swallowed. Even when he was at his worst, he was still gorgeous. How was that even possible? I straightened up quickly from where I'd been supporting myself against the table. "Hi," I said. My voice shook only a little bit. "How would you like to espresso yourself today?"

Thank God the guy seemed more out of it than he appeared, because he didn't even give me a second glance. If he did, he would have probably seen the face people make when they eat something too sour. Unless, you know, they like sour things. Anyway. All Hot Customer Dude did was slumped into the seat farthest from the door, the one where recluses or people working like to be for some peace and quiet. Usually, they don't come to the front to get whatever they ordered, so Veronica would bring it to them instead. Like hell I would let her do it this time. Hot Customer Dude placed his head in his hands for what felt like forever.

Before I could awkwardly shuffle away to do my own thing like practice my latte art (it was very popular), the guy raised his eyes from where he'd been staring contemplatively at the table. "Black coffee. Please," He added as an afterthought, but I could forgive him for that. Everyone forgot their manners before coffee. At least he'd made an effort. I nodded and put down the cloth I'd been clutching in my hand. Ugh, I was a complete mess around this guy. What was he doing to me? I run my fingers through my hair. Maybe I should invest in some gel?

By the time I finished preparing the coffee and turned back, Hot Customer Dude had his forehead on his arms. It was sort of pathetic, really. I couldn't judge him for being exhausted-that was basically the way I wanted to act every morning I unlocked the doors. Veronica wasn't even in yet, either. She had gone drinking, of all things, the night before, and needed some time to recuperate. With meant I was stuck with both manning the kitchen and the front of the store. I balanced the cup in one hand, something that had taken me the entirety of college to perfect, and the bill in the other. I set both down on the table next to Hot Customer Dude's hand, probably harder then necessary.

He shifted, only a little, and peeked up from where I guess he'd been 'hiding'. "Sign here, Mister..." I purposefully trailed off. Inside, I was preening a little, because I had managed to talk to him without running away! Which was an accomplishment in and of itself, but in the same sentence, I also asked for his name without explicitly asking for it. I was a genius. "Alvise. Alvise Rossi." Jesus H. Christ, the guy-Alvise-had an Italian accent. I hadn't noticed it before, but when he said his name it came out thick. I nearly went weak in the knees. I cleared my throat, tried to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth. "Right, hi. I'm Jason." Alvise's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I cringed.

Shit. That was not something a waiter said to their customer-they didn't just offer their name like that. Oh, well, too late for that now. I gave a smile that probably looked a little wobbly around the edges, and offered the stupid piece of paper. "Mister Rossi, please sign here." I said. A little desperate, even for myself, but I really never wanted that slip up mentioned again. Alvise stared at me for a little longer, his green eyes flitting across my face. I was very close to just turning tail and running far, far away from this entire situation. Then, miracle of miracles, Alvise nodded and reached for the pen I had been holding out the entire time. He wrote his signature down with a flourish, and handed the pen back to me without another word. "Thanks," he mumbled. Oh, that was definitely Italy, no doubt about it.

Even when I was obviously dismissed, I just stood there. Like an idiot who couldn't take a hint. Eventually, I unfroze and turned away. I clenched the pen so hard I actually had to worry for a moment if it was going to break. Obviously, I wasn't that strong, but it was a valid concern when I could feel the plastic bending in my grip. I scuttled-there was no other word for it-back behind the counter to sit down and have an existential crisis. I spared a glance back over my shoulder to Alvise, and forced myself to look away when his head turned in my direction. God, I was probably creeping on the guy and making him uncomfortable.

It was just difficult, seeing someone who obviously cared for family and had a sexy accent. It was fine, though, if I was just admiring, right? Alvise probably had a nice wife and three in a half kids-who's to say the girl (what was her name again? Started with an 'L') was the only one? I nodded to myself. Okay, it was perfectly fine if I didn't act on any of my...things. They weren't feelings. I couldn't have a crush before I even knew Alvise's name, right? I looked down at the bill and nearly had a heart attack. Written so small that I wouldn't have noticed it I hadn't been looking in a neat, swooping font were the words 'if you want to talk so bad, stop staring and come over to my table.'

Well. Okay, I obviously hadn't been as subtle as I thought, but that was alright, because Alvise hadn't shunned be for all eternity and refused to come here ever again, right? It's fine, fine, fine. My breath was getting quicker and I knew I must have looked like I was choking on air to an outsider, but I was too busy panicking to really care all that much. How had I made that mistake? I should have stopped looking at the beginning, Christ, the dude probably wasn't even gay or pan or whatever. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a hand gently laid itself on my shoulder and shook me a little bit. Through the panicked haze of my mind, I quickly ascertained that it definitely wasn't Veronica's, since she wasn't due until ten-fifteen.

The palms and fingers were calloused when they slid down to grip my hands firmly. They were broad-strong-and definitely not a woman's. I hadn't even realized that I'd closed my eyes, but they snapped open to meet Alvise's concerned ones. "Hey, hey," the accent that wrapped around his words seemed less prominent than it had been before, but now that I payed attention, I could definitely hear it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. Can you take a deep breath for me?" In a completely exaggerated manner, Alvise inhaled slowly. I struggled to match his breathing pattern. My vision was going a little gray around the edges.

Even then, I managed to take a shaky breath in. Alvise smiled softly. His hands were still wrapped around my shaking ones. The bill had dropped to the floor. "Good," he praised. "Now again." We continued like that for a while until it didn't feel like my lungs were trying to crawl their way out of my mouth. I kept my eyes locked on Alvise's face the entire time. It helped ground me, to know that someone else was there to help. Not many people knew how to; the only individuals who I relied on when this happened were Veronica and Samuel. "S-sorry," I stuttered. My hands were still trembling something fierce. Alvise didn't let go.

"It's okay. I've been there." He said with a small smile. God, was he beautiful. Probably wouldn't be in anyone's best interest if I told him that, though. "Do you have anyone to take over for you? I usually need some down-time when I get an attack." I nodded. "Veronica," I explained. My voice was far more steady than my body, now. "She should be here in two hours or so." Alvise shook his head, lips twisting unhappily. Before I could go into a panic about how I must have done something wrong, he squeezed my hands reassuringly. "You shouldn't have to work right now. Is it okay if I call her and tell her to come early?" I blinked. That was unusual; no random passerby would have cared about my mental health after I finished my break down. A lot of them would run in the other direction, actually.

"Y-yeah. Here, I'll give you her number." Alvise dutifully pulled out his own phone (was that the newest Samsung model?) and held it up to his ear. I sat there and listened to it ring. This had to be the most embarrassed I had been in a while. I had had an anxiety attack in front of a random person who had simply called me out on my creepy staring. I was so pathetic. "Hello," Alvise said smoothly. I shook my head and looked up from where my clenched fists still harbored a slight tremor to them. "Is this Veronica?" Alvise asked. A voice, snappish in tone, responded. I winced. I forgot how upset Veronica was when she was woken up before she was ready. "I'm calling on the behalf of Jason, he-" yelling on the end of the line. "No, he's fine. He just panicked a little; would you mind coming early?" Alvise smiled. It was nothing more than a twitch of his lips, but he did so none the less. "I'll keep that in mind. Have a good day, now." The phone beeped. Veronica had ended the call.

Alvise sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. It was exactly what Samuel would do, and I leaned in gratefully. It wasn't because he smelled nice. It wasn't. "Your friend, she is...interesting." He said after a short silence. I snorted. "Most people would call it being an asshole." I replied. Alvise laughed, a deep, rolling sound. "Rest for now. We will move once she gets here." I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. Alvise tensed for one short second, but that was enough for me to doubt everything. It was also pretty quickly eliminated when Alvise tugged me closer and tightened his grip.

I don't know how much time passed, but when Veronica burst through the doors and rushed over to fuss over me, I was feeling a lot better. Alvise said something to Veronica, who replied with a tone that brooked no argument, then disappeared. After I had been led over to a seat that was obscured by other customers, Alvise was gone. Veronica explained that it was to go get comfort food, but I didn't really believe her. Alvise's duty was done, he'd fought the good fight-why would he stay?

I didn't say this out loud, though. I just rested my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Alvise did come back, and he was armed with pastries that were piled high in his arms. If I hadn't been so shocked about his return, I might have stuffed my cheeks full of the croissants. Veronica could say all she wanted about my addiction to them, but I really couldn't help it. They were so good and came in different flavors! Alvise sat down at an empty chair just to the right of me and placed the plate on the table next to my arm the same way I had done for him. "So I get it if I blew my chance," Alvise said carefully. "But do you still want to talk?" I stared at him. No way he actually wanted to have a nice chat after what had just happened. That wasn't...people didn't do that.

"Uh," I responded. My mouth was a little too dry and my voice croaked awkwardly. So far, this was turning out to be a fantastic first impression for everyone involved. I cleared my throat twice, just to make sure I wouldn't sound like a demented frog next time I spoke. "That would be...nice." I said. Alvise grinned with the force of a trillion suns. I was almost blinded by it, that's how bright it was. Veronica was still wherever she had vanished off to, so I couldn't call upon her to take me away like I wanted her to. Alvise leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table, and rested his head in his hands as the very epitome of interested.

I swallowed. "Right, um." I licked my lips, which were suddenly very dry. Alvise's eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim lighting. "I like animals," I blurted when the silence between us began to stretch from 'pleasant' to 'uncomfortable'. "Specifically, I like wild cats. Jaguars. Lions. That kind of thing." God, my voice was so stilted and awkward. It sounded too much like I was forcing my voice not to tremble even slightly by saying short sentences. "That's nice," Alvise hummed, his noise scrunching as he smiled. "I tend to go for the bigger felines, myself."

Who even said felines out loud? He most likely had a larger vocabulary and went to a sophisticated college like MIT or something. "Yeah," My voice went a little high-pitched at the end, almost a question. Good god, I wanted to die. It was only with some concentration that I prevented my face from turning into a red stoplight. I resisted the urge to slam my head down onto the table. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to him (though that was also part of it), I just didn't want to talk to him at this very moment in time. When I was recovering from an anxiety attack and stuffing my face with croissants.

Alvise leaned back in his chair. I almost slumped out of my chair, I was so relieved. Now he wasn't as close and I would have somewhere else to stare while we sat in silence. Of course, life just didn't want to make things easy for me. There, right in front of me, he stretched. Arms above your head and arching your back stretched. I nearly choked on my own spit, especially when the shirt he was wearing rode up enough to see a sliver of his stomach. Okay, I may have hacked up a few coughs, but not enough for someone to be concerned about.

Except Alvise was, because the guy was just that nice. He immediately sat back up again and made an aborted movement, as if he was going to reach for me. Even with my desperate need to recover in peace, my body ached for that touch. Stupid hind-brain. "Are you okay?" Alvise asked. I nodded, perhaps a little too wildly. "I'm fine," I said. "Just got something caught in my throat." Alvise stared for a moment longer then shrugged. "Okay," he said. Then we lapsed back into the Not Talking thing we were doing. It was getting increasingly difficult not to just hop up from my chair and run away to the other ends of the earth. Heard Canada was a good place this time of year.

Alvise shifted closer again. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he laid a hand on my wrist, right above my hand. HIs touch was electric. "Hey, are you sure you're fine?" Alvise raised an eyebrow. That shouldn't be sexy, right? It was never sexy with anyone else. What the hell? "You seem kind of jumpy." If I said because an Adonis is sitting next to me and I don't want to mess anything up, it would most likely not be welcomed and I'd be punched in the face. Or, worse, he would just up and leave. So, I did the logical thing, and lied. "Yeah, just...want to be alone right now." Something close to hurt flashed in those gorgeous eyes. Which was weird. Why was that weird? Had I said something wrong?

Alvise lifted his hand away. I only nearly stopped myself from protesting. "Oh, alright then. I'll take my leave then, shall I?" A small smile twitched his lips upward as his stood up. Wow. That man was tall. "Hope you feel better tomorrow." As he turned around, I blinked. Wait, what? I...hadn't meant that I wanted him to leave! Not like I could say that, otherwise it would come too close to begging, and I was definitely not going to beg some stranger to coddle me when they had better things to be doing. "Okay," I replied. "See you later?" Alvise paused, his back turned to me. My heart started to pound-oh, God, had I just ruined everything?

He looked over his shoulder and gave me a full-fledged grin. "Of course." He said smoothly. I watched as he strode away, hands tucked into his jeans, and rubbed the back of my neck. I couldn't conceal my huge, shit-eating smile if I tried.

After a few minutes of me on the edge of hysterical laughter, Veronica poked her head out and stared at the door. "He's gone then?" She called. I nodded; she smirked and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Is it still not a crush, Jason?" She asked sweetly. I flipped her the bird.

=

By the time Alvise managed to come to my shop again, Veronica, Samuel, and I were swamped with customers. It was a day before the New Year, and apparently that meant that everyone needed to buy some form of cake. We were the only café that sold them that was in the neighborhood, so of course the inhabitants came to order something. That didn't mean it helped mine or anyone's stress levels. "Yes, hold on," I told the lady that was yelling into my ear on the other side of the phone. I handed the money to Samuel, who dutifully placed it into the cash register, then turned my back on the line. Just looking at it was making me nervous. 

"Who's your manager? There should be better service than this, I am a customer-" I sighed. "Ma'am, I am the manager. We're very busy today. I'm sorry for the inconvenience; what can I do for you?" A telling silence form the woman told me all I wanted to know. I pinched the bridge of my nose, held back a foul curse that would definitely guarantee the lack of a customer. I waved off Samuel when he looked over in concern and nearly bit my tongue off when I spun around to pace, only to be met with a very familiar (and handsome) face. "I apologize, ma'am, I'm going to have to hand you off to someone else." I said absently blindly shoved the phone at Samuel.

He stared in befuddlement for a moment, then shrugged and took it from my grasp anyway. I got the tail-end of "hello, how may I help you-" but I was too busy squeezing through the crowd with Alvise hot on my heels. "Going on break!" I had to yell to Veronica as we passed. She rolled her eyes and waved us off. I had finally managed to gently push passed the other patrons and make it through the front door when I realized I could have just went out back. I slapped a hand to my forehead; all that damn struggle just to see Alvise again? Come on. I beckoned toward a table that was far away from any prying eyes.

As we sat down, I didn't miss the way that Alvise's eyes seemed to flicker over my body. That was probably because he was looking at what I was wearing. He was definitely not checking me out. If he was, then it was wishful thinking on my part. "So," I said, as casually as possible. "What brings you back here? During rush hour, no less?" Was Alvise blushing? Yes, there absolutely was a red tint to the apples of his cheeks that hadn't been there before. It was easier to see with his pale complexion. "I...wanted to make sure you were doing better." A week later? I stared a little longer than was necessary. Well, that was...unusual. After the first three days Alvise hadn't showed up, I had thought that his placation had been just that-something to get me to leave him alone. Huh.

"Okay, then," I said. There wasn't much I could say that would make it less awkward than it already felt. God, when had I started to lose my cool around hot guys? Oh, yeah. Since Alvise. There was a question that was begging to be answered, though. "By the way," I said. "How did you know a way to bring me down from an attack like that? Not a lot of people do." Alvise's face shuttered, the upward half-tilt to his lips fading away into the beginning of a frown. Oh, shit. I didn't mean to make him unhappy-now he was going to leave and I'd never actually get to know him better-"I work at a veteran's clinic," Alvise explained. It successfully interrupted my inner panic.

Maybe it had shown on my face or something, because he was giving a tentative smile again. "A lot of soldiers honorably discharged have mental health issues," Alvise laughed, but it wasn't a very happy sound. "Hell, I've never met one who didn't. I'm trained to recognize and deal with post-traumatic stress disorder; anxiety attacks are almost the same as panic attacks, if a little more mild." So that was why he seemed to have this calming aura around him. He'd been in the same situation before, which explained a lot more about his personality than he probably thought it did. His accent came back when he was upset, too. "Oh," I said quietly. He simply nodded and shrugged.

"It's a big deal for me. People who need help should receive it," his jaw clenched. "Not ignored, or left on the streets to die." The anger that filled and threatened to overflow Alvise's expression would be comical if not for how indignant he looked. Another thing that was unusually attractive: standing up for those that couldn't stand up for themselves. I resisted the urge to sigh and place my chin on top of my fist like some damsel staring at a prince from across the room. I wasn't smitten. Okay, I had admitted to myself (with pestering from Veronica) that I had a huge crush on Alvise, but I wasn't in love. That would definitely be disastrous. I did give him an encouraging smile, though, which seemed to lift his spirits, if only a little bit.

Two plates of tiramisu were placed in front of us, and I looked up in surprise. Veronica stared back, a challenge in the quirk of her lips, and winked. I scowled back at her. I knew what she was doing. I didn't need help wooing someone who didn't want to be wooed. She just scoffed and walked away, a jaunty swing to her hips that made me want to strangle her. Then again, Adam would kill me, so. Maybe not. "Tell Veronica thank you for this when you go back in," Alvise said as he licked a spoon. Jesus, the guy had already finished half of his plate. I tried not to stare as his tongue curled around the metal to get off every last bit. Okay, maybe Veronica had been onto something. "Tiramisu is my favorite."

My laugh was a little too high pitched for it to be normal, but I shoved a spoonful of the dessert into my mouth before I could embarrass myself even further than I already had. "I'll make sure to do that," I responded after I could swallow without choking and dying. He made me want to worship the ground he walked on. "So, Jason," the way he said my name made me want to die. "Why a coffee shop? There are thousands of other businesses out there." After a short pause to make sure he wasn't making fun of me (that would have been the deal breaker), I set down my spoon. I knew I was going to gesticulate wildly for this rant.

"People ask me this all the time, you know?" I said. "And it isn't, like many assume, because I want free coffee. It's because other people want coffee." I threw my hands into the air. "But nothing out there is actually good enough for them! Sure, they'll take what they've got because it's the only thing out there, but they're not actually happy with it. They don't actually enjoy it. They're just going through an everyday routine." I paused to take a deep breath. Sometimes when I got excited, I became winded. Almost like I'd been running for hours. "So Veronica and I, we decided to make something that would exceed people's expectations. To create food and coffee better than just 'okay'." I finished. I could feel my cheeks flush as I caught Alvise's eye. He stared at me like I was something precious, something to be kept.

It was...good wasn't the word, there wasn't one for it, but it was along that same vein. So I guess good would have to do. "You understand?" I asked. If I was a little out of breath, I doubted Alvise would actually mention it. And he didn't; he just said, "yeah. I really think I do."

-

After that day, Alvise would sometimes come to hang around and chat with either Veronica, Sam, or me. On very rare occasions, he would bring around Laura, who he formally introduced as his daughter. She was adorable and quite possibly the most innocent thing I had ever seen. Her cheeks were always rosy and her eyes had a sparkle to them that made her look almost identical to her father. There were other things, though, that made me want to hide in my apartment and cry.

Her nose was not Alvise's, nor was her hair. Instead of the fire-like tangle, it was a dark brown. Instead of a wide bridge, it was a cute little button. Even Laura's personality was different from her dad's; she was a spitfire, and ready to throw tantrums at any moment when she didn't get what she wanted (we had learned this the hard way). It reminded be that everyday there was someone that Alvise got to go home to. Got to cuddle and kiss and go on dates with. It made my heart ache something fierce, but I refused to acknowledge it any further than that. Veronica had started to give me long looks, like she knew exactly what I was thinking every time I looked at them, but never said anything about it.

I took that as a concession that I was right. I sighed and rested my forehead on the kitchen counter. I could hear Samuel conversing enthusiastically with Alvise on the other side and Laura's constant questions about whether or not she could have a certain sweet in the display box. Like a good parent. Alvise's answer every time was a solid no. Which was good, otherwise Laura would be bouncing off the walls. Veronica pushed open the door with her hip and raised an eyebrow judgmentally. Which, okay, I probably looked pathetic, but today was turning out to be one of those days. "Get out there and see your boy," Veronica urged gently.

I sat up and rested my head in my hands. "He's not my boy," my response came out muffled. I knew she had heard it, though, from the exasperated sigh she gave in return. I sat up anyway and shuffled over to the door. I may or may not have stayed up all night working on a new coffee combination that was a hit with customers. It had sold more than any other one on the menu, so the sleep deprivation was worth it. Veronica held the door open for me and narrowed her eyes. She was probably scheming something and I wanted no part of it at all. I scoffed and pushed passed her into the front, bumping my shoulder gently against hers.

She probably stuck her tongue out at my back, the child. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the counter, content to watch Alvise's extravagant hand gestures as he got more and more excited the further he talked without interruption. Samuel had the most intense look on his face, the one that meant he was trying to follow someone's line of thought and failing miserably. To an outsider, it appeared as if he actually understood what was going. I stifled a laugh with my palm. Samuel jerked like he was coming out of a trance and turned to me. "Jason!" He said gratefully. I could practically see him sag in relief. "I have to get things in the kitchen ready." Despite the transparent excuse, Alvise watched him go with an amused noise scrunch, and oh. Oh. That troll. 

"You knew he wasn't listening the entire time, didn't you?" I asked. "You just wanted to see how long it would take for him to either leave or stop you." Alvise laughed outright. "Maybe," he said mysteriously. Sat on a table behind him, Laura scribbled into her coloring book with vigor that even I didn't have when I was younger. "Your girl is certainly intent to drill a hole into that piece of paper with a crayon," I noted. Alvise, without looking, waved a hand in the exact direction of Laura. I blinked; even I hadn't been able to know exactly where my family was. Must be a parent thing or something. God, that just made him all the more attractive. This was bad. I couldn't...this wasn't-ethical. To like someone who was in a committed relationship. Yeah.

I let a small smile sneak through, anyway, as I stared at him. He really was gorgeous; possibly the most beautiful human I had ever met, and that was saying something. I knew a lot of pretty people. Alvise opened his mouth to say-something, a strange glint in his eye, but before he could actually get any words out Veronica slung her arm around my shoulder. She nearly bowled me over with the force she came at me with, Jesus Christ. "So you know," Veronica nearly screamed. She was out of breath, too, like she had ran a marathon. I really didn't want to know. "That Jay here is single?" I closed my eyes and begged for the gods to strike me down with lightening. Or for the ground to swallow me. I welcomed either one.

Couldn't this girl take a hint? I didn't need help with getting a date, and even if I did, it would definitely not be with Alvise, of all people. He was absolutely not an option, even if I wanted him to be. I tried discretely to push her off, but she clung on like a baby koala. Alvise furrowed his brow and stared at her like she held the secrets to the universe or something. As if she wouldn't blab about it immediately after she learned them. "That's...nice?" He asked. It was a question; of course it was, why would he ever even consider that I was single? He was my friend! "Yeah, Veronica might have had too many cookies last night." I said between gritted teeth.

I didn't even bother being subtle as I shook her off and ran a hand through my hair. I avoided Alvise's inquisitive, wonderful eyes and chose to stare at the dirty floor instead. We really should clean it at one point. It would be a health hazard if we didn't bother to. Veronica, who apparently couldn't stop even if it was to save her own life, threw herself onto Alvise instead. I rubbed a hand over my mouth and eyed the floor. It would be a great time for it to suck me in and suffocate me, please. "What about you? Are you attached to someone for the rest of your life?" Veronica asked. Her voice had gone up several octaves.

Good god, this woman-"uh, no, actually. I haven't been attached to someone for the rest of my life for a while now. She's been gone for a long time." Avise responded carefully. My world stopped. There was no other way to describe it, because it felt like everything but Alvise and myself were stuck in some sort of limbo. He...didn't have a spouse. He was a single father. With no wife. Of course, that didn't mean that he was into dudes, but it did increase my chance tenfold, and my heart started to pound frantically. My stomach turned, whether with excitement or anxiety I didn't know. "Excuse me," I managed to say. My voice was quite obviously strangled. "I think I heard Samuel calling me,"

I spun of my heel and practically ran off, almost tripping over my own two feet to get away. Alvise called my name in the most confused manner I had ever heard, but I didn't dare look back. If I had, I might have given into the urge to kiss him silly. I burst through the kitchen doors. My breath was a little ragged and it was harder to breathe than normal. Samuel shot me a startled glance; I ignored him and make a beeline for the back entrance, somewhere that none of us really used unless it was an emergency. "You and Veronica can hold the fort down until tomorrow, okay? Okay." I babbled. I raised my hand in a jerky approximation of a wave and sprinted outside.

-

I didn't leave my apartment for three days.

I just...couldn't. It wasn't that I was scared or anything. It was just that I couldn't handle anything but sitting in front of Netflix and eating ice cream. It definitely wasn't because of the revelation that this entire time I could have been flirting with Alvise instead of hanging around like an idiot and being too afraid to actually ask if he'd like to go on a date or something. Jesus Christ.

I startled when a quick succession of knocks came from my door. I glanced at the clock; twelve-oh-six. AM. Who the hell was at my apartment in the middle of the night? I glared daggers at the wood that was too far away for me to even bother getting up. I would have just ignored it if the knock hadn't come again, more insistent this time. I groaned and rose from my bundle of blankets and shuffled over. My fingers fumbled with the lock (my lamps really weren't the best) and pulled open the door. As I blinked rapidly, the figure that loomed in my doorway swooped forward, caught my cheeks in their hands, and kissed me.

What. The. Hell. Just as I was about to push them away and sue them for assault, a familiar aroma reached my noise. The unmistakable smell of flowers and-and-oh my god. Alvise was here. Alvise was here and kissing me. Alvise was here at my apartment and kissing me and I was standing there like a dumbass-

I made a noise of protest when he tried to pull away. I finally got my hands working again and reached up to clutch at the lapel of his jacket. Alvise chuckled, a low rumble that made my knees weak. "Hi there," he said, then leaned in to catch my lips again. I met him half way there. We kissed for a few moments longer, but I couldn't just ignore the cold that slowly wrapped around me, so I pulled him inside and shut the door with my foot. I stared at him-pupils dilated, cheeks flushed, lips puffy-and kissed him again, a quick peck on the mouth. Just because I could.

"How the hell do you know where I live?" I asked. My voice was a little rough after not speaking a couple of days, so it came out more raspy than usual. I caught notice of the way Alvise shuddered and grinned. "How about we sit down? Then you can give your explanation." I suggested. Alvise nodded breathlessly and followed me over to the couch, where he threw himself onto it like he had been doing it forever. I lifted his legs up and placed them on my lap, then took off his shoes. "Veronica informed me. She was worried about you," Alvise said. I grimaced. If she was worried, then Samuel was worse, probably. I bit my lip sheepishly; Alvise's eyes flickered down to track the movement.

I shrugged. "Yeah, tell them sorry about that. I may have panicked about something that obviously has no merit." Alvise grinned. "Yeah?" He asked, almost wonderingly. Was this really happening? After all this time? It could be a dream, but it seemed to real-the rustle of fabric as Alvise shifted, the twitches in his face as he stared back at me. Not even in my dreams had I been this lucky. "Yeah." I smiled back; it was a reflex by now, really. His smile made me want to do anything for him. Alvise shifted and moved his feet from my lap to the ground. My protest died on my lips when he moved to his hands and knees and leaned forward. "Oh, tesero," Alvise purred. His accent came through thick, and a bolt of interest ran through me.

"You and I are going to have so much fun together."

-

"But Pops-"

"You know, that's the first thing you told your dad when you walked into my coffee shop."

Laura, now a surly sixteen-year-old, groaned and rolled her eyes. She pouted, stomped her foot, but I was not moved. No matter how much warmth rushed through me when she said 'pops' or 'papa' or whatever names she came up with, I had never swayed. It was always Alvise who did, and he was on the other side of the world. Well. He had been three hours ago. "You are not going out with V minutes before your dad comes home, Laura. That is final." Laura huffed and plopped herself down onto the couch.

I knew that it wasn't that she didn't want to see Alvise; it was just that she was a teen, and they always hung out in their friend groups. They did things with each other. This time, though, she would not be leaving. Before I could scold her more on the importance of family and not to get caught up with her friends all the time, the locked clicked open. Laura, despite her grumpiness, was up like a shot and running for the foyer. I shook my head, but followed behind her at a more sedate pace.

"Daddy!" Laura shrieked. I rounded the corner just in time to see Alvise hoist Laura up in her arms and spin her around. She shrieked with laughter, and failed to make a face (her norm) when he kissed her on the nose. I leaned against the threshold and watched in amusement until Alvise set her down and turned to me. His smile turned into a full-blown smirk. "What, not going to come kiss me hello?" He said with a teasing flutter of his eyelashes. Laura made retching noises as I laughed and flung myself at him to capture his lips in a kiss. Usually, we kept it chaste in front of Laura, but Alvise had been gone for two weeks. I was allowed to make out a little with my husband first thing.

Laura had a different opinion about that. "Ew! Dad, Pops, get a room!" she yelled. When I peeked at her, she had her eyes covered with both her hands. Alvise raised an eyebrow at me. "What a wonderful idea." He leered. I couldn't hear Laura's disgust over the sound of my own laughter as Alvise led me away.


End file.
